Recent episodes

"Every surface, every bit of air, every bit of water in your home is alive," says scientist Rob Dunn. His new book, 'Never Home Alone,' examines the bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites and insects we live with — from armpit bacteria to black mold in our walls.

In 'Burning,' Steven Yeun plays a mysterious South Korean playboy who may or may not be murdering his girlfriends. "To this day, I'm the only one who knows who Ben really is," he says of the character. He spoke with 'Fresh Air' producer Sam Briger.

On Nov. 18, 1978, an itinerant preacher, faith healer and civil rights activist named the Rev. Jim Jones led more than 900 of his followers to kill themselves by drinking cyanide-laced Flavor Aid at their Jonestown settlement in the jungle of Guyana. 40 years later, questions still linger regarding the Jonestown massacre and the man who inspired it. Journalist Jeff Guinn details how Jones captivated his followers in the book 'The Road to Jonestown.'

A new video series by 'New York Times' reporter Adam Ellick explores Russia's role in spreading fake news, dating back to the '80s conspiracy theory that the AIDS virus was created by the U.S. military. Ellick also talks about the impact of Russian disinformation in the U.S. "This country is so split and divided that we're not using this Soviet disinformation playbook on ourselves."

Sandi Tan was 19 when she wrote and starred in a film directed by her 40-year old mentor. But then her mentor disappeared and took the film's footage with him. 20 years later, Tan got the footage back. She revisits the mystery of her mentor's disappearance and the film that was never made in a new Netflix documentary 'Shirkers.'

In 'Burning,' Steven Yeun plays a mysterious South Korean playboy who may or may not be murdering his girlfriends. "To this day, I'm the only one who knows who Ben really is," he says of the character. He spoke with 'Fresh Air' producer Sam Briger.

Karina Longworth's new book, 'Seduction,' focuses on 10 women that had relationships with Howard Hughes and the exploitation of actresses in Old Hollywood. She also reflects on the #MeToo movement and women coming forward against Harvey Weinstein: "The thing that I've come to understand from studying the 20th century of Hollywood is that these things have always happened, and they were never talked about publicly," she says. "So just the fact that we're having a conversation is completely revolutionary." Longworth's podcast, 'You Must Remember This,' is about the forgotten stories of Hollywood's first century.

Also we remember Marvel Comics writer, editor, publisher Stan Lee. He died yesterday at 95. Lee spoke with Terry Gross in 1991 about coming up with Spider-Man, inventing new sound effects for his comics, and why superheroes have colorful costumes.

"Every surface, every bit of air, every bit of water in your home is alive," says scientist Rob Dunn. His new book, 'Never Home Alone,' examines the bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites and insects we live with — from armpit bacteria to black mold in our walls.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews 'A Ladder to the Sky' by John Boyne. She calls it "maliciously witty, erudite and ingeniously constructed."